Technical Field
The current invention relates generally to apparatus, systems and methods for heating air. More particularly, the apparatus, systems and methods relate to heating air with a space heater. Specifically, the apparatus, systems and methods provide for heating a space with a space heater that is engaged with a television, and where the space heater is operable separately and in combination with the television.
Background Information
Space heaters are used to heat areas of a building or a home without requiring the central heating system to heat the entire home or building. The use of space heaters may reduce the overall heating cost for the building because one room or a couple of rooms may be heated by space heaters to a desired temperature, such as 70° F., while the rest of the building may be heated to a lower temperature, such as 65° F. Space heaters are also popular because they are portable, generally inexpensive, and are capable of being moved from room-to-room.
While space heaters are useful they are often unattractive, have other drawbacks and may cause problems. For example, space heaters tend to only heat the area immediately adjacent the heater and don't distribute heat throughout the area being heated. Additionally, the grill at the rear of the space heater may become clogged with dust and the space heater may therefore overheat or catch fire. Although some space heaters have anti-tipping devices that turn the space heater off if it is tipped over, some space heaters may tip over, overheat and still start a fire.
Space heaters generally include rectangular-shaped boxes made out of plastic or metal which house electrical coils that are heated with electricity. Air is drawn into the interior of the box and is warmed as it passes over the coils. A fan is generally used to draw a volume of air through the coils to create a flow of warm air into the room. Knobs on the exterior of the box are used to control the space heater to adjust temperature and to turn the space heater on and off. Other space heaters may have electric or automatic controls to automatically turn the space heater on and off at desired times. Although currently known space heaters have both desirable and undesirable characteristics, a better space heater is desired.